New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-12
HiNJED-COTH AGE,

| Chairman Cooper. Of the Republican state
| Committee of Pennsylvania, a shrcwd and
obServant politician, says Of the result OF his
canvass:
The Republican majority in the state Is altogether
gratifying ana II the state Committee had not planly
accepted the challenge thrown down by the Liquor
and Personal Liberty leagues would have been
beaten and II the same challenge had been accepted
! in New-York would have won that Stale
We ask the special attention Of Republicans
to this statement. because we believe it to
be the exact truth. We are the more moved
10 do So because a certain class of Republican
politicians arc now going about saying that
il was the Republican temperance legislation
Of last winter which cost lis the state We
believe, on the contrary that if the Republican
canvass had been steadily maintained on the
high plano of the temperance legislation, we
should have been congratulating each other
now upon decided victory. But the idea
seemed to prevail among some Of the politicians
that if the liquor interest were not too severely
handled during the canvass the salOon-kccpcrs
and brewers and distiIIcrs would forget the
hard blow that had been struck at them in the
public interest, and with that gcntlo
and forgiving spirit which is characteristic Of
publican ticket. As a result, VIII lc no one
dsowned the Republican record on this qucS-
ton. and much was said in its favor. there was
lack of unity and hcarincss in the canvass
on this point. There was no such presentation
Of ii as to arouse the ordcrloving people to
the fact that an army of liquor-dcalcgs was
moving to capture the Legislature. And
while many a voter. whose natural place was
with the Republicans on such an issue, re-
manned Indifferent, because it had not been
made sharp enough, or was diSplcaScd because
there was an appearance Of lukcwarmncSs IN
the campaign. the liguOr-dcalcrs, who know
who their friends arc, were raising money by
the barrclful to carry the State for the Dem
ocrats The result was that the Republican
party was drained Of votes at both ends. and
vet the Democrats. even then managed to get
q plurality probably little larger, if any than
that Of two years ago, if we leave ont Of con-
sdcration as We should do in fairness, the
unpopular nomination Of Colonel Grant
A good illustration of the way this question
works is seen In the Rochester District. where
Mr. Pitts was defeated for denomination to the
Senate largely. no doubt, because the poiti-
clans were afraid his positive record on the
temperance bAls would hurt him in a beer
making city This, and the non-committal
attitude Of the man nominated in his place
disguised many temperance RcputlicanS
Meantime the liquor-dcalcrs made up their
minds that the Democratic candidate would
after all. suit their purposes better. and they
elected him. The result is that the Rcpub-
licans have lost the district, whereas if they
had rcnominatcd Mr. Pitts and fought the
fight on high temperance grounds. they would
in all probability have kept it. Another
phase of the working Of this question was
seen in the canvass Of AsscmbIyman Maurcr, Of
Monroe County for reelection. Mr.. Maurcr
voted against the temperance bills trusting TO
the liquor dealers to take care of him. They
did help him to a denomination but the tenn
perance voters defeated him. Other instances
might be given. An examination Of the sources
Of the Democratic plurality shows how easily
the Republicans might have won with an az
gressive canvass. The pluraiiics in New
York, Troy and Rochester alone show an in
crease of more than 10000, and the increase
Of tho total plurality over that Of 1888 is only
1000, even on Colonel Grant the weakest
Republican candidate. so that the liquor
dealers money in these three cities gave the
Democrats their whole increase in plurality,
and more. How easy it would have been to
overcome this if the Republicans in the interior
had only been reused by the strong prcscnta-
ton of a moral issue.
In all this. VIC make no criticism OF the
State Committee which worked faithfully and
well. and was hampcrcd by lack Of money.
We speak of the general spirit Of the canvass.
The masses Of the party, which. comprise n
large proportion Of the moral sentiment Of the
country, believe in high license and other
wise strict regulation of the liquor traffic. The
leaders must represent this sentiment. or
cease to lead Courage is the best policy 1t
has strengthened, not weakened, the Rcpub-
lican party TO pass high license laws in Penn
sylvanLa, Ohio and Illinois. We must 60
forward in the same line and without faltcring.
The Republican party has won its victories in
the past by the force Of its ideas, and by hay
ing the courage 10 stand up for them.